Potato-planter



(No Model.)

F. M. BURGER.

POTATO PLANTER.

No. 368,129. I Patented Aug. 9, 1887.

132 we I: for

UNITED STATES PATENT OFEIc FRANK M BURGER, OF JOLIEI, ILLINOIS.

POTATO-PLANTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 368,129, dated August 9, 1887.

Application filed May 31, 1887. Serial No. 239,769. (No model.)

' ing at Joliet, in the county of Will and State III of Illinois, have invented certain new and usef ul Improvements in Potato-Planters, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to certain improve.

ments in a machine for planting potatoes, which improvements are fully set forth and explained in the following specification and claims,'reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and the letters and figures of reference thereon, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the machine as it would appear in operation. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the adjustable-shoe of the machine. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view on line 1, looking toward the forward part of the machine. Fig. 4 is a similar view on line 2, looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 5 is' a side View of the forward part of the machine and of the rear part of the tongue pivoted thereto, and showing a gravitylatch for holding elevated the forward part of the machine while turning about. Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the rotating disk of the dropping mechanism. Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the stationary disk of the dropping mechanism. Fig. 8 is a central vertical cross section of said rotating disk. Fig. 9 is a central vertical cross-section of the said stationary disk and its dropping-throat, and Fig.- 10 is a side view of the shaft and gear for operating the rotating disk and its dropping mechanism.

Referring to drawings, S S represent a pair of parallel sills forming the frame of the machine, supported at their rear end on the traveling wheels W W, through the medium of axle A, secured to said sills, and supported at their forward end by means of the double wheel W W, secured on a shaft boxed to the under side of said sills, which wheels WV drive the operative parts of the machine.

E is a shoe having its forward end forked and having said forked ends respectively pivoted to the inner side of said sills near their forward end, and having its rear end separated to form the angle G between its parts,

of which it is secured to said sills, as shown,

immediately above the rear part of the shoe E, and is also provided with the depending dropping-throat P, (see Figs. 1, 7, and 9,) which throat depends in the angle G in the rear end of shoe E.

D is a rotatable disk or plate arranged to lie on the upper surface of plate D, and is provided with a series of concentric apertures, a, arranged to register with the opening in throat P when plate D rotates.

H are hoppers arranged to stand on the rotatable plate or disk D over the apertures a, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. These hoppers may be of any suitable number, four being shown in this machine.

P is a vertical shaft standing in a step-box, Z, (see Fig. 4,) and passes up through disks D D, and is secured to disk D by means of the pin S passing through its upper end and lying in the recess S in the hub of said disk. Said shaft I is driven by means of a short horizontal shaft through the medium ofa pair of miter gears, P Said horizontal shaft is boxed to the under side of one of said sills, and has secured to its outer end the sprocket-wheel d, which is driven from a sprocket-wheel, d, secured on the outer end of the shaft Z of wheels W, through the medium of sprocketchain a. (See Figs. 1 and 3.) Aseed-box, R, is arranged immediately in the rear of hoppers H on standards to hold it the proper height, and is formed with its floor inclined forward and its forward part reduced in height and ex tending at either side of said hoppers H, as shown at R R, Fig.1, so that seed to be planted will slide down from the main box into said side parts and be convenient for the operator to pick out, and by such arrangement the seed does not become closely packed together, but lies loosely, so that it may be easily picked out.

R are a pair of ordinary covering-scrapers, adj ustably secured to the sills S S, through the medium of their standards and clips 6, as

ICO

shown in Fig. 1, and are arranged one on either side in the rear of the shoe E, and set so as to gather the earth and cover the seed as it is dropped.

I, mounted on spring-standard N, and I are seats, and are to be respectively occupied by the driver and operator, and when the maehineis in operation the weight of the operator upon the seat I will hold wheels IV down to their work, so that they will operate the dropping mechanism of the machine, and also sills S S will be held in a horizontal position, and the tongue T will then incline upward and its gravity-latch L will then be unemployed.

The tongue of the machine is pivotally secured at m between the sills S, and has pivoted to its under side, next the forward end of the machine, the gravity-latch L, arranged to catch under the catch L, secured to said sills, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5, for the purpose of catching and locking the tongue and sills together and holding elevated the forward end of the machine, and raise the wheels \V and shoe E oil? the ground when turning about or in traveling from place to place. \Vhen the dropper leaves seat I, the axle A operates as a fulcrum, so that the weight of the driver on seat I will tilt up the forward end of the machine and the latch L will operate, as hereinbefore described.

V is a cord attached to said latch to release it from catch L when the dropper takes his seat and it is desired to place the machine in position, as shown in Fig. 1, ready for operation.

M is an arm pivoted between the archstandards C and is adapted to be turned from side to side to mark at either side of the machine.

G is ascraper for the purpose of cleaning off the dirt from wheels \V when necessary, and is adapted to be brought to bear on the said wheels by means of the crank G. The wheels IV, being arranged as shown, permit the shoe E to operate between their treads, as shown in Fig. 3, and thus are near said shoe, so as to travel over the same inequalities of ground that the shoe travels, and so as to cause the shoe to maintain auniform depth in the ground. The sprocket-wheels d and d are interchangeable for sprocket-wheels of different diameters for rotating the hopper II at different speeds for dropping the seed any i equired dis tance apart.

In operation the potatoseed to be planted is placed in box R. The driver occupies seat I and the dropper seat I, as described, the driver resting his feet on axle A and the dropper resting his feet on rest 0. (See Fig. 1.) As the machine advances, the shoe E enters the ground to the required depth, as it may be adjusted, until wheels W are upon the ground and their contact with the ground causes them to rotate, and by their connection with the dropping mechanism cause disk D and hopper 11 to be continuously rotated, so that the hoppers will successively and regularly register with throat P, and the operator takes seed from the side receptacles, It, of the box R, and in a like manner supplies each empty hop per with seed, and as said hoppers register, as described, they deposit their seed into throat P, where it is conducted to the ground in the angle G of shoe E in the trench formed by said shoe, and is covered by the scrapers R which gather the soil from either side of said trench and hill it into a row over the seed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows, to wit:

1. In the potato-planter described, the stationary disk D, having the depending throat P, in combination with the rotatable disk D, having a series of concentric apertures, (1, adapted to register with said throat, and the hoppers H, secured in said apertures, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In the potato-planter described, the combination of the rotatable disk D, having a series of concentric apertures, a, and hoppers II, stationary disk D, having the depending throat P, adapted to register with said apertures a and hoppers I-I, adjustable shoe E, initer-gears P and their shafts, sprocket-wheels d and d, sprocket-ehain a, wheels IV, and scrapers R substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In the potato-planter described, the combination of rotatable disk D, having a series of concentric apertures, a, and hoppers H, stationary disk I), having the depending throat P, arranged to register with said apertures, shoe E, arranged to be vertically adjusted at its rear end, seedbox R, and the means shown and described for operating said hoppers II, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

FRANK M. BURGER.

Witnesses:

WM. J. IIUremNs, FRANK KELLY. 

